[Comparison of immunofluorescence, enzyme immunoassay and cell culture for the diagnosis of Chlamydia trachomatis in urogenital infections].

We evaluated the usefulness of the direct immunofluorescence test with monoclonal antibodies and the enzyme immunoassay in comparison with isolation in cell cultures for the diagnosis of Chlamydia trachomatis in 55 endocervical specimens from female prostitutes and 21 urethral specimens from men with diagnosis of nongonococcal urethritis. In comparison with culture, the enzyme immunoassay had a sensitivity of 100% and a specificity of 95%. The immunofluorescence test had a sensitivity of 92% and a specificity of 98%. The positive and negative predictive values for the enzyme immunoassay were 81% and 100% and for immunofluorescence 92% and 98% respectively. The immunologic methods appear to be satisfactory alternatives to culture for detecting C trachomatis in genital specimens in the studied populations.